When will the playgrounds and rides reopen at Pullen Park? What we know
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Pullen Park attractions, including train and carousel, will reopen April 1, 2026.
- Shoreline reconstruction continues through August; lake path stays closed.
- City replaces propane train with new electric locomotive; auction runs April 6–27.
The playgrounds and attractions, like the train and historic carousel, will soon reopen at Pullen Park.
The attractions, playgrounds, amenities and picnic shelters closed to the public on Feb. 2 for construction along the shoreline of Lake Howell, but are set to reopen to the public on Wednesday, April 1.
The 67-acre park, located off of Western Boulevard near North Carolina State University, is the state’s first public park and the fifth-oldest amusement park in the United States.
Pullen Park construction timeline
Construction on that $1.9 million project will continue through August, wrapping up in time for the popular Holiday Express event in the winter.
“We’ll still have an active construction site around the lake, and that lake pathway will be closed, but everything else will be open,” said Adam Forman, assistant director for the city’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department.
The concrete shoreline walls and rails lost some structural stability, with the city demolishing and replacing the walls and rails, installing new shoreline walls and reconstructing concrete paths, he said.
Warm-weather amenities
The aquatic center, community center and tennis courts will remain open, but one summer amenity will not be offered this year due to the construction.
“The paddle boats obviously will be closed, and we will be taking the time to update our paddle boats,” Forman said. “They were getting old. We’re buying all new ones so that will be easier to handle. I’ve paddled out with my family around there and kind of sweated through it, so it will be easier to manage.”
Bid on the Pullen Park train
Raleigh is also auctioning off its 2015 silver CP Huntington Propane locomotive train, replacing the front of the Pullen Park train with a new black electric locomotive. The red trappings on the wheels, cowcatcher and stack will still appear on the new locomotive, according to photos provided by the city.
“It’s really the same, old, classic Huntington look but with a great paint job. It looks fantastic” he said, adding the “train obsessives” on staff are happy with the aesthetics and technology of the new locomotive.
The online auction begins at 8 a.m. Monday, April 6, and ends at 7 p.m. Monday, April 27, on govdeals.com.
The same model train engine, but built in 2000, sold for $18,200 by the Birmingham Zoo on GovDeals in 2024. The prices, Forman said, can range from a few thousand dollars to $200,000.
Other items up for auction from the city include a steel track excavator, a garbage truck and mid-size grader.
The new electric locomotive, upgrades to the shoreline and newly added electric infrastructure to most of the campus are part of recent investments at the state’s oldest public park, Forman said.
An event celebrating the sustainability efforts, like the electric locomotive, is set for April 17-19.
